After not signing Ohtani every other prospect from Asia feels disappointing right now. I know that's not fair and there are some good players over there, but it really sucks not getting him. I really thought we were getting him after we made it past the first cut.

Regular Show wrote:After not signing Ohtani every other prospect from Asia feels disappointing right now. I know that's not fair and there are some good players over there, but it really sucks not getting him. I really thought we were getting him after we made it past the first cut.

The sting pretty much wore off for me when the info about his pre-injured elbow came out. Obviously, it wasn't going to cost anything so it would've been a great add, but meh.

0 x

The Cubs’ transaction list under Epstein and Hoyer reads like a work of fiction, a wish-fulfillment list composed in hindsight.

Regular Show wrote:After not signing Ohtani every other prospect from Asia feels disappointing right now. I know that's not fair and there are some good players over there, but it really sucks not getting him. I really thought we were getting him after we made it past the first cut.

The sting pretty much wore off for me when the info about his pre-injured elbow came out. Obviously, it wasn't going to cost anything so it would've been a great add, but meh.

Seibu Lions left-hander Yusei Kikuchi has continued to express interest in a jump to Major League Baseball, with some in the industry feeling that the 26-year-old could land close to a $100MM deal from a North American team, The Athletic’s Dennis Lin writes (subscription required). Kikuchi has a 2.76 ERA, 8.0 K/9 and a 2.30 K/BB rate over 871 2/3 innings for Seibu (plus a brief stint in the Australian Baseball League in his rookie year). Since Kikuchi is older than 25, he is exempt from the international bonus pool system, and he should command a hefty contract from teams bidding for his services should Seibu decide to post him — Kikuchi isn’t eligible for complete free agency until 2020.

The Japan Times wrote:On Friday night at Tokyo Dome, the Seibu Lions and Yomiuri Giants each sent their ace to the mound, creating a marquee matchup of the Lions’ Yusei Kikuchi vs. the Kyojin‘s Tomoyuki Sugano.

Unsurprisingly, it drew some “major” attention.

Sitting among the 45,533 fans were scouts from the Diamondbacks, Indians, (San Francisco) Giants, Mariners, Phillies, Pirates, Red Sox, Tigers and other major league teams.

On Kikuchi:

Kikuchi, last season’s Sawamura Award runner-up behind Sugano, got the better of Friday’s matchup, tossing seven two-hit innings with three strikeouts, and three walks, in the win.

“He’s not the biggest guy, but he knows how to pitch,” said one of the MLB scouts. “He can establish the fastball and set up the secondary stuff and he throws all his pitches for strikes. He’s got a good feel for what he’s doing, just like Sugano does.”

...

“He’s a lefty first of all,” said Lions slugger Ernesto Mejia. “He’s got pretty good stuff. He’s got a good fastball, good slider and a good changeup. He likes to play, he likes to compete. He takes every single pitch seriously. I think his focus, and the really good stuff that he has, is a big key.”

...

“Kikuchi has got solid stuff and he’s left-handed, that’s always going to be attractive,” the scout said. “The guys who seem to have had success, have something that distinguishes them. Like (Diamondbacks pitcher Yoshihisa) Hirano has the split. Kikuchi, I’m not sure what it is right now. I like the total package, but I’m not sure what stands apart.”

On Sugano:

“I’ve seen him better than he was tonight,” the scout said. “He’s got four pitches for strikes. He’s got a good enough fastball to set-up his other stuff. He’s got a good feel where he can throw any pitch anytime. He wasn’t sharp tonight. He might have been tired. Maybe he’s been throwing a lot of pitches over the last couple months and tonight was one night where he was a little bit tired.

“I think a lot of people like him, that’s why there’s a good amount of scouts in town to see him.”

...

“He’s an ability guy, throws all his pitches for strikes,” the scout said. “I look for things that make me think he’s a no-brainer for success. There are a lot of things that say he’s going to be successful, but he doesn’t have the (Yu) Darvish or (Shohei) Ohtani presence maybe.

The Japan Times wrote:On Friday night at Tokyo Dome, the Seibu Lions and Yomiuri Giants each sent their ace to the mound, creating a marquee matchup of the Lions’ Yusei Kikuchi vs. the Kyojin‘s Tomoyuki Sugano.

Unsurprisingly, it drew some “major” attention.

Sitting among the 45,533 fans were scouts from the Diamondbacks, Indians, (San Francisco) Giants, Mariners, Phillies, Pirates, Red Sox, Tigers and other major league teams.

On Kikuchi:

Kikuchi, last season’s Sawamura Award runner-up behind Sugano, got the better of Friday’s matchup, tossing seven two-hit innings with three strikeouts, and three walks, in the win.

“He’s not the biggest guy, but he knows how to pitch,” said one of the MLB scouts. “He can establish the fastball and set up the secondary stuff and he throws all his pitches for strikes. He’s got a good feel for what he’s doing, just like Sugano does.”

...

“He’s a lefty first of all,” said Lions slugger Ernesto Mejia. “He’s got pretty good stuff. He’s got a good fastball, good slider and a good changeup. He likes to play, he likes to compete. He takes every single pitch seriously. I think his focus, and the really good stuff that he has, is a big key.”

...

“Kikuchi has got solid stuff and he’s left-handed, that’s always going to be attractive,” the scout said. “The guys who seem to have had success, have something that distinguishes them. Like (Diamondbacks pitcher Yoshihisa) Hirano has the split. Kikuchi, I’m not sure what it is right now. I like the total package, but I’m not sure what stands apart.”

On Sugano:

“I’ve seen him better than he was tonight,” the scout said. “He’s got four pitches for strikes. He’s got a good enough fastball to set-up his other stuff. He’s got a good feel where he can throw any pitch anytime. He wasn’t sharp tonight. He might have been tired. Maybe he’s been throwing a lot of pitches over the last couple months and tonight was one night where he was a little bit tired.

“I think a lot of people like him, that’s why there’s a good amount of scouts in town to see him.”

...

“He’s an ability guy, throws all his pitches for strikes,” the scout said. “I look for things that make me think he’s a no-brainer for success. There are a lot of things that say he’s going to be successful,but he doesn’t have the (Yu) Darvish or (Shohei) Ohtani presence maybe.